Editing Using the high bass clef

The “high bass clef” looks exactly the same as the standard bass clef, but the music has to be played one octave up (compared with the treble clef). So it's equivalent to a <code>&quot;bass^8&quot;</code> clef where the octavation eight above the clef is removed.<br />
It's used from the 18th century until approx. end of 20th century for french horn parts.<br />
This usage of the F clef was inherited to the “basset horn” and the “bass clarinet”, too.<br />
There also exists an alternate transposing instruction which instead of declaring the high bass clef tells you, you have to alter the instrument transposition every time you use the bass clef or when you switch back to using the treble clef - but this method makes transposing of a part much more complex than the usage of the “high bass clef”.

<lilypond version="2.24.0">
%% http://lsr.di.unimi.it/LSR/Item?id=855

%LSR modified by P.P.Schneider on Feb.2014 for v2.18
% corrected ArnoldTheresius Apr.2016

MusicInF = {
  c'1
  \tag #'HornClefChanges {
    % the High Bass Clef _with_ Editoral Annotation
    \clef "bass^[8]"
    
    % As it's the first time the High Bass Clef appears,
    % I want to tell everyone "I'm using the High Bass Clef in this instrument part!"
    % thus I use it with editoral annotation
  }
  c
  \tag #'HornClefChanges {
    \clef treble
  }
  d'
  \tag #'HornClefChanges {
    % the other way to select the High Bass Clef:
    % first, select the Octave Up Bass Clef
    \clef "bass^8"
    % and then cancel the octavtion number
    \set Staff.clefTransposition = #0

    % In the later usage inside the same part I prefer to omit the editoral annotation.
  }
  e
}

<<
  { s4*0^"French Horn in F, or Basset Horn"
    _\markup { \tiny \override #'(baseline-skip . 2) \column {
     \line { "In this example an" \italic "octavation eight in brackets" }
     \line { "is put over the first occurrence of the" \italic "high bass" }
     \line { \italic "clef" "as an editorial note to indicate: this music" }
     \line { "is still using the old-fashioned high bass clef." }
    } }
    \clef treble
    \MusicInF
  }
  { s4*0^"sounds as"
    \clef bass
    \transpose c f,
    \removeWithTag #'HornClefChanges
    \MusicInF
  }
>>
</lilypond>

[[Category:Instrument-specific]]
[[Category:Winds]]
[[Category:Specific notation]]